Title:  The Odyssey

Author:  Carhop6506

Email:  carhop6506@yahoo.com

Rating:  NC-17 explicit sex, minor angst, minor violence, adult language

Archive:  SJD yes; others please ask.

Summary:  Members of SG-1 end up sold into slavery in another galaxy in another Stargate system.

Disclaimer:  Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/ Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions.  I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the authors.  Not to be archived without permission of the authors.

Spoilers:  Sometime after Window of Opportunity

Warnings:  Off-screen death of an original character.

Status:  Complete

Notes:  I offer many thanks to my beta readers Al, Amanda, Ami and Christina for helping me with my first fanfic.

************************************

Prologue

************************************

"SG-1, you have a go," came the familiar send-off of Major General George Hammond to the group on the stargate ramp.

Colonel Jack O'Neill saluted the general sloppily and turned to his team.  "Alright, let's go meet some new friends," waving them toward the glistening pool of blue light.  His voice showed less than his usual enthusiasm and sarcasm.

The general sighed as the team disappeared, one at a time, through the 'gate.  Their team dynamics were still not back to normal after the events of the past few months.  Jack's marooning on Edora and subsequent "defection" had not been taken well by his teammates.  As much as they denied it, they were still angry with him over some of his actions during these two missions.  If they couldn't fix this problem themselves, he would have to take actions that he, and they, would not like - such as breaking up his premier team.

What he didn't know was that a certain Goa'uld had other ideas for his subordinates and friends.

************************************

Just Your Standard Meet 'n Greet

************************************
 
 

********************************* JACK *******************************
 
 

'Well, this promises to be an easy mission.  Just what they - I - we - need.  A standard meet 'n greet.  No danger, no opportunities for misunderstandings, no one shootin at us,' I thought.  Not one my more prescient moments.

We stood on the porch beyond the stargate and scanned the vista around us.  The gate was at a crossroads of two very well traveled, unpaved roads.  SG-7 reported this world as home to a Bronze-age civilization.  So far, so good.  SG-1 was here to complete the negotiations begun by SG-7 but halted by an accident to one of the team members.

Daniel was practically salivating at the chance to study a living pre-Iron age culture.  Teal'c, was ... Teal'c.  Carter was looking around with some interest, but not her usual level of intense thirst to figure out how everything worked and what it was made of.  'Sigh.  Still upset at me and I don't know *why*!'

"Carter.  Carter!  Pay attention and take point.  Daniel, you next.  Teal'c, you're with me."  Nothing like routine to make everyone feel back to normal.  Though, what normal was after the past few months, I couldn't say.  First Edora, then that damned black ops mission to trap Maybourne and Makepeace, now my team was angry at me.  Well, to be honest, *still* angry with me.  Since they rescued me from Edora, things hadn't been the same.  Carter was avoiding me, distant and polite when we had to interact.  Daniel was suppressing something.  I could tell he was just itching to get it out, but held back for some reason.  'Was there something going on between him and Carter?   Nah!  Silly idea.'
 
 

******************************* Daniel *******************************

Jack was almost back to being the professional, emotionless soldier I'd met over three years ago before the first Abydos mission.  It was hard to see him like this, alienated from us, his teammates.  Not all of it was his fault, but it *was* up to Jack to make the first move.  He'd hurt Sam badly when we came to rescue him on Edora.  She'd worked tirelessly for over three months to re-invent physics as humans knew it to get to Jack, and then Jack had turned his back on Sam for Laira and declared he didn't want to leave.  Small gratitude for miracles worked.

The terrain here was semi-desert, except in the vicinity of the wide river below us.  It bustled with traffic; boats, barges, and one or two pleasure craft could be seen as dots of color on the brown water.

In the distance, directly in front of the gate was a city, spanning the river.  To either side we saw the signs of spring everywhere.  The glow of new green surrounded the trees that ran along the river and through many of the fields that ran from the river up to the hills on our left.  A surprising number of them seemed to be left fallow, though.  I pointed to the orchards and vineyards dotting the higher reaches of the hills.  People, tiny in the distance, moved among the trees and fields.  I turned toward the team and said, "This is a rich city with a good location on this river.  Lots of traders come down that river which, according to SG-7, drains most of this continent."

At Jack's brusque command, we walked down the road running toward the city gates.  About 2 miles from the gates a figure on horseback passed through and began to trot toward us.  As she came closer I saw her raise a hand in greeting, and heard a vaguely familiar phase.  Jack turned cold eyes to me and raised an eyebrow, "Daniel?"

I searched my memory for the language and meaning.  Phoenician?  Babylonian?  Yes, close to Babylonian.  I introduced us to her as formally as her greeting to me had been.  Turning to the team, I translated, "She, Aktara, welcomes us to her city in the name of the council, of which she is a member."  I turned to her and, bowing, thanked her and the council for the opportunity to meet with them.  She smiled and gestured for us to follow.  She slowed her mare so I could catch up and walk beside her.  Aktara turned to me and said "I apologize for meeting you in this fashion," motioning toward the horse, "I suffered an accident in childhood which makes walking very far difficult for me, even for the best of reasons such as the arrival of new friends."  She smiled at me.  A woman of middle years, quite attractive, dressed in well-made and colorful, but very tasteful clothes.  Perhaps a woman of influence who might work toward our advantage.

******************************** SAM ********************************

'Well, this should be fun.  Daniel's found a friend at least.  Beautiful, but harsh countryside.  Should be some interesting mineral deposits around here.  No sign of any naquadah yet.'  I noticed the people in the fields, hand-watering the crops from buckets carried up the hill.  I pointed them out to Colonel O'Neill and whispered, "They haven't invented water wheels and irrigation techniques yet.  We definitely have some technology we could trade with."  He nodded curtly and walked on.  'So, what else is new?'  I ground my teeth and walked faster, trying to catch up to Daniel and Aktara.

"Daniel, please ask her what cargo those barges are carrying?  I'm curious what would be brought in such large quantities to what looks like a pretty self-sufficient community."  After Daniel repeated my question, she replied solemnly that their soil had been infested a few tens of years ago by a parasite they could not defeat.  It was kept in check by periodically replacing the soil, at great cost, from up-river communities where the parasite hadn't yet appeared.  The barges contained the new soil.

"Please tell her we may be able to help with this problem if, when, the council agrees to trade with us, and ask if we may take soil samples and some of the parasites back with us for study."  Daniel complied, and she smiled, replying, "That would be a great achievement, making a trade agreement much more likely.  However, we have been promised this before, with less than successful results.  You may be asked to prove you can do it before an agreement can be ratified."  A not unreasonable request if they had been mislead before.

I gazed around as we began to pass between fields left unplanted as yet.  Looking more closely, I saw patches in each field which appeared gray.  As we got closer to a large patch near the road, an unusual smell greeted us - sour, foul.  The next field, hidden from view by a hedge until now, was being dug out by hand, the dirt carried in baskets to a wagon along the road we traveled.

As we moved through the gates into the city and through the narrow streets, I thought about her comments.  Our small procession was followed by beggars and poorly clothed children showing some signs of malnutrition.  'A society with several strata, with most at the bottom.  Maybe they're not so rich after all.'
 
 

******************************** JACK ********************************

'Well, at least Teal'c should still talk to me.'

"Hey, buddy.  What's shakin'?"

Teal'c turned to me as we walked through the city streets, raised an eyebrow and said, "I do not believe anything has come loose enough to shake, O'Neill."

I grimaced, "Uh, it's just that we haven't talked in a while.  We don't seem to get together like we used to."

"Indeed, we do not.  Of what would you like to speak?"

"Well, um, how are things with you; with your family?"

"They are well.  I was able to spend some time with them in the Land of Light while the MajorCarter was working to rescue you from Edora.  Ry'ak has grown to be a fine young man in my absence.  His mother has done well raising him."

"You must be very proud of both of them," I said.

"Indeed I am."  And there the conversation stopped as he moved up to walk beside Carter.  'Even Teal'c, huh?  Wow, I must have really screwed up this time.  Well, I hope they get around to telling me what it is soon.  This is gettin' old.'
 
 

******************************* TEAL'C *******************************

'O'Neill is what the Tau'ri call clueless.  He has no idea how badly he has hurt MajorCarter and, through her, DanielJackson and myself.  I do not wish to see this situation continue.  However, O'Neill must repair his own pasture walls.'

The streets widened and we passed through a busy marketplace as many of the booths were closing for the night.  Looking up, I saw that the sun, high when we came to this world, was going down quickly.  'SG-7 reported that the rotational period of this planet is much shorter than are those of Earth or Chulak.  I wonder how it affects their society.'  A question I would never have answered due to the events that were about to unfold.

Aktara lead us into a large paved courtyard.  A younger woman ran to help her down and toward the large doorway at the back of the courtyard.  She turned and invited us in with a smile, a word and a gesture.  We followed closely as the light faded quickly and the temperature dropped.
 
 

******************************* DANIEL *******************************

The council chamber was classic Babylonian decor and architecture.  I'll admit I gawked at the beautiful artworks painted on the walls and ceiling and the mosaics on the floor.  Bright colors, evoking strong emotions, showed happy people celebrating plentiful harvests, but the paintings were flaking and fading from lack of maintenance.  'Something isn't right here.  These paintings aren't that old.  Could the parasite have caused that much damage to the local ecology and economy to bring about malnutrition and decay?  This bears watching.  I hope we can help them.'

The remaining four council members cordially greeted us.  They invited us to sit down with them to dine at a low table surrounded by cushions.  A young servant stood behind our cushions, anticipating our needs, attended each of us.  'They seem to be out to impress us with their sophistication and wealth; perhaps to put themselves in a better bargaining position for later.'

The meal was good, the company congenial for me, but rather strained for the others who didn't speak the local language.  Smiles and gestures made up for much of the discomfort.  Sam tried to make her attendant, a quite attractive young man to judge by her reactions, feel appreciated, smiling and thanking him each time he served her.  Jack was polite to his attendant, but glowered and made sarcastic comments each time the young man came near her Sam.  As I looked at them, my thoughts betrayed my impatience with the situation.  'Geez, Jack just never gets it.  He can't have it both ways.  Either tell her you love her, or leave her alone.  Stop making her miserable.  Stop making us all miserable.  It's not like we haven't tried to tell you what's going on.'
 
 

******************************** SAM ********************************

'Well, the colonel sure is cross tonight.  Wonder what I did to piss him off this time.  It's not like he's given me any chance to mess up today.  He's like a stone wall.  How much more of this do I have to take before I'm forced to leave SG-1?  Is that what his plan is?  Maybe Dad could get me a chance to work with the Tok'ra scientists for a few months.  It might be best to ask him when we get back to the SGC.'

'Hmm, looks like the entertainment's arrived.  Maybe my little *friend* here will back off, if I stop eating.  The food's good, but not setting too well on my empty stomach.'  Janet had threatened me with intravenous feeding if I didn't gain some weight.  The normal protocol for an off-world meal like this is to eat little and drink less.  After the colonel's experience on Argos, exposure to alien drugs and organisms is avoided as much as possible without giving offense to our hosts.  "Hey Daniel," I whispered to my right, "have you noticed feeling sleepy or queasy?"

He looked at me and replied, "No, I'm feeling fine and I've eaten more than you.  And Jack is certainly eating enough for both of us.  He knows better than that."

"It must be that I didn't sleep too well last night.  The main dish was a little spicier that I usually eat, too."  I refused to comment about the colonel's behavior.  It isn't my business, as he's made abundantly clear these past few weeks.

Daniel looked again, closer.  "You haven't been eating or sleeping too well for a while now."

"Don't worry about me; I thrive on high stress and little sleep."  I grinned at him with as much enthusiasm as I could muster.
 
 

************************************

Betrayed and Separated

************************************

******************************** TEAL'C ******************************

A group of men have just entered the room, they move toward the front of the room to a raised stage.  'Our hosts must have hired entertainers for the evening in our honor.'

I look at the rest of my team.  DanielJackson and MajorCarter are talking.  She doesn't look very well.  Looking beyond them, I see Colonel O'Neill is talking animatedly to his server, flirting.  'He's had too much to drink.  Surely, O'Neill should know better than any of us what can happen with alien food and drink.'

Turning back to the stage, the men on the stage remove their cloaks.  I see... Zat'nikatels.  "O'Neill, MajorCarter, DanielJackson, we are betrayed!"  Many of the council members are confused by my outburst.  The soldiers shoot the council guards, some more than once.  They were quite serious.

DanielJackson turns to Aktara asking what is going on.  She obviously does not know and turns toward her fellow council members.  All but one are as confused as she.  The last, a young woman smiles, stands and moves toward the armed strangers.  She turns to face us and her eyes glow, "I have captured the famed SG-1.  My father will reward me well for this night's work."  Her smirk faded, "Take them to the chapaii.  They will never see their precious SGC again."

******************************** SAM ********************************

The colonel jumped to his feet and said, with his normal sarcasm, "Think again, snake eyes.  You'll find we aren't so easy to kidnap."

As shooting begins I see Jack hit with a staff blast.  "No!"  I shout.

I struggle to my feet, but I'm so dizzy.  'Was there something in the food?'  A zat gun bolt hits me and the world goes away.

******************************* DANIEL *******************************

"Oh my god!  Jack and Sam are down.  Teal'c, we've got to help them."  I start to move toward them, but the council members and our attendants get in my way.  Teal'c is blocked too.  'I think they're protecting us.  *Perfect* timing for them to get protective of their guests.'  Aktara hobbles toward the soldier who's leaning down to pick up Sam and she breaks a large patter over his head, shouting, "Theta, how could you betray us and our guests like this?"  She's slapped across the face by another warrior and falls to the floor.  Sam's attendant grabs for Jack, to pull him to safety, but is shot by a staff weapon.

"Let me go to them!"  Teal'c is struggling too, making progress through his protectors, but too slowly.  "They're getting away.  Stop them!" I yell.  Both of us are shot with a zat gun.  Teal'c falls, but I'm only grazed and dizzy.

I look up to see one of the soldiers genuflect to the Goa'uld and say, "Exalted One, we must go or the window will be closed.  We must leave these two behind."  She snarls in frustration and gives a sharp nod in agreement.  Surrounding the Goa'uld and their captives, the soldiers back out through a door by the stage.  Confusion is rampant.  As too many people try to take control of the situation, nothing is accomplished.  A recovered Teal'c and I finally make our way to the front entrance, escaping our "saviors."  As we reach the gateway from the courtyard to the square, a group of horses ridden by our attackers and their unconscious captives rides by.  Our pleas for horses, help, *anything* fall on deaf ears.  By the time we run the four miles to the stargate, they're gone.  They're gone with no trace!

We backtrack far enough to meet the townspeople who follow us with our weapons and equipment.  The remaining council members bow and scrape in apology for the complicity of their fellow in the plot and kidnapping.  Their assurances of a very favorable alliance fall on deaf ears.  Our only thought is to get home and start searching for Sam and Jack.
 
 

************************************

Sub-Standard Accommodations

************************************

Jack woke up to screaming.  "No!  Leave me alone you big apes.  Go pick on someone your own IQ, *if* you can find someone that stupid."  It was Carter.  He raised his head to see what was going on and saw her being barely restrained by three struggling Jaffa while the fourth removed her clothes using a knife.  Their Goa'uld captor, whose name they still didn't know, stood over to the side with a smirk on her face.  Her smirk slipped a little each time Sam almost jerked free from the three soldiers with her struggles.

Carter's long, shapely leg and slender foot made contact with the chest of the warrior holding her left arm.  He fell back onto his butt struggling to breath and the other Jaffa laughed at his discomfort.  Two others took his place while he recovered.  Her struggles became less effective and the new Jaffa took up cutting off the rest of her clothing.

"Hey!  What do you think you're doing to my officer!  Get your hands off her!  Don't you even *think* about touching her." Jack bellowed, much to the amusement of the Goa'uld and the Jaffa warriors watching from the sidelines.  Jack lunged toward Carter and her attackers, but he was grabbed from behind by two other guards who had been watching the struggle.  Nothing he tried got him free.

The Goa'uld sneered, her eyes glowing cruelly, "You need have no fear for her virtue.  I am demonstrating to you how easy it would be punish you both by giving her to my Jaffa for their amusement.  Try to escape and I shall do so.  Should she try to escape, well, I have a couple of warriors who might find a few hours alone with *you* interesting.  You're more their type than she is."  Jack paled and swallowed, hard.

"Then, why are you having them take her clothes off?"

"As I did with you?"

Jack looked down and saw that he was only wearing his boxer shorts.  "Oh, for cryin' out loud.  What the heck is going on here?  What are you up to, you snake head?" he exclaimed, trying to wrap his arms about every part of his body at once, especially the brightly-colored, gag gift boxers Carter and some of the other women in the SGC gave him for Valentines' Day one year.  He'd grabbed the only pair in the drawer that morning while racing to get dressed in the dark and never noticed that the words "Cum and get it" were emblazoned across his underwear next to a picture of a rather large, erect male appendage.  'Damn, it never fails.  Ya get dressed in the dark, ya get in an accident!  Why don't mothers tell their *sons* about wearing nice underwear, just in case, like they do their daughters?'

The Jaffa had finished removing Carter's outer clothing, leaving her in just a lacey black bra, black thong bikini panties and a black look for her tormentors.  The sight took Jack's breath away and he stared at her, mouth gaping.  '*That's* what she wears under her BDUs?  Whoa, far better than my puny imagination ever painted.  Drool.  Stop it, Jack!  Keep your mind on the situation, not Carter's body.'  As the soldiers put her on her feet, she glared at him too.  Feeling ashamed, he shrugged his shoulders, grimaced and mouthed, "Sorry."  She pursed her lips and looked away.  Releasing her, they backed away cautiously, obviously expecting another explosion of fists and feet.  Jack could see that she had scored a few hits on the soldiers before they subdued her enough for their task.  'Small comfort.  At least all they took was her clothes.'

"So what's the purpose of this exercise?  Humiliation" Sam asked.  "Or merely prurient interest?"

"Minus your clothing, you're more vulnerable.  You won't be as likely to try anything stupid, like escaping.  Plus, the people to whom I will deliver you will wish to better see that the merchandise I have for them is free of blemishes.  Why else would I have healed O'Neill's wound?"

"M-merchandise?"

"Yes, it was my glorious father's idea of a just revenge for all of the slaves you have helped escape his 'protection' and the trouble you have caused the system lords."

Jack quipped, "So just who is this father of yours?"

The Goa'uld smiled archly and answered, "Why, Anubis, of course..."

"Ah, one of our greatest fans," Jack interjected and flashed a perfectly insincere smile at her.  "And who the heck are you?

"And I am his daughter, Kabechet."

"Well, Cabbage Head, you *so* aren't going to get away with this little abduction.  General Hammond will make sure we're rescued, probably in time for dinner.  They're serving my favorite at the mess hall tonight, so it might go better for you if you make sure we're not late."

"It is unlikely that you will be there to partake, for we have already taken you through two gates while you slept.  We wait now for your next, umm, escort who will take you the rest of the way to your final destination, which even I do not know.  Now, if you do not mind, we have other accommodations for you in preparation for their arrival.  They left these just for you with assurances that the cages are escape proof."  Kabechet turned to her left and gestured to the Jaffa to put Jack and Sam into the two small cages that had gone unnoticed behind the group of warriors until now.  The Jaffa surrounded them and began dragging each SG-1 member to their own 4' x 4' x 4' cage.  The seemingly seamless pens, made up of a solid top and bottom connected by solid bars, popped open when a device held by one of the guards was passed over them.  A Jaffa removed both lids.

Jack shook his head and said, "I'm afraid these accommodations just won't do.  My travel agent explicitly reserved the honeymoon suite.  How can I impress the major if you change the setting?"

"*I'm* afraid you'll have to impress her with the charms you so freely advertise," Kabechet lobbed back, referring to his apparel.  Sam snickered.  Jack shot her a black look of his own.  She cocked her head to the side and shrugged, mouthing "Sorry," obviously feeling no remorse.  'Gee, thanks, Carter.'  As each was locked into their respective cages with the mysterious device, Kabechet walked away and disappeared inside her roomy and considerably more comfortable tent.  The guards dispersed to their own tasks.

The cages were about six feet apart, made of some type of very dense wood, and didn't seem affected by any of their attempts to break out or loosen the bars.  Sam finally sighed in frustration and gave up her inspection of the cage, lying down on her side with her back to Jack.

After some time, seemingly days to Jack's impatient mind, he too gave up and lay down on his back with his arms over his chest.  Since the sun had begun to go down a small wind had sprung up to tease at their less than adequate coverings.  Jack shivered as an errant wisp of air ran up his boxer shorts, sending cold fingers up his spine.  To distract himself from their predicament, he turned and spoke quietly to his fellow captive.  "Carter, we need to be a team here.  There should be nothing to distract us from the job at hand.  Escaping."

"Sir?"

"What I'm trying, badly, to say is that I need to know that you'll be there when we need it, not giving me the cold shoulder for something, whatever it was, that I said."

She ground her teeth, furious, trying not to utter the retort that came to mind.  More calmly than she felt, she said, "Sir, have you ever had cause to doubt me as a dedicated member of SG-1?"

"Not until lately.  You always used to be able to read my mind, be the perfect 2IC, when it counted most.  Now..., well, we hardly talk, let alone read each other's minds.  When we do talk, we argue constantly.  What I need is to know why you're hurt and angry with me.  What did I do?  What stupid thing did I say and not realize the affect on you?  Please tell me, Carter...um, Sam."

She sighed again and lithely rolled off her back to sit up in the cage facing him, but with her face in the shadow from the cage top.  "Sam?" he asked again, softer.

Instead of answering, she asked, "Why did you come back with us from Edora?"

He blinked, and replied, "Because Edora wasn't where I needed to be.  It wasn't home.  My friends and home were at the SGC, on Earth.  Why?"

"When you were on Edora, I... we worked ourselves to exhaustion for over three months trying to get you back.  We re-wrote physics to invent a particle accelerator to punch through the stone surrounding the buried gate on Edora."

"Yeah.  What's it got to do with why you're mad at me?"

She shifted to a more comfortable sitting position, bringing her knees up to her chin and wrapping her arms around them.  "When we - Daniel, Teal'c and I - came through to Edora and ran like idiots toward the village to find you, you were the best thing I'd seen in *so* long.  We'd talked for months about seeing you again for the first time.  But... you turned from me to Laira and kissed her and..." she paused, her voice breaking "you said you didn't want to leave.  There, in front of half a dozen SGC members and half the villagers, you dismissed us.  Do you know how small that made me, us, feel?  How sick I was over the look on your face when you glanced at her and asked her to come with you?"

"You heard that?" Jack said in a very small voice.  Not waiting for an answer he didn't need, he smacked his forehead with the heel of his hand.  'Stupid', smack, 'stupid', smack, 'stupid!' smack.  Jack now knew why he'd been treated like a pariah around the SGC.  It explained the especially painful injections and ungentle examinations he'd gotten from Janet and her nurses.  It explained the angry confrontations with Daniel as he railed at me for "abusing Sam" and not trusting the rest of the team.  If everyone heard about his words and actions on Edora, Jack was surprised they didn't lynch him.

"Sam, I waited and waited for you to come and rescue me like you always do.  I felt like the heroine of the story waiting for the white knight to come and save me from the evil meteoroid.  Laira waited too, for me to see that you weren't coming.  She was there for me when I was depressed, gave me her husband's clothes to wear, work to do, a place to sleep.  *Not* in her bed; at least not until that last day.  Like Laira had with her husband, I mourned you all for a hundred days.  I finally come to the difficult realization that you couldn't come for me; that it just wasn't going to happen and that I needed to make a new life.

"Laira asked me to make a commitment to her, but I held back, hoping.  She wanted another child now that Garan was grown, and asked me to give her one.  I..."  He cleared his throat and looked down.  "After I was well and truly drunk one night, we were together.  When you came for me I was in total shock and was incredibly confused.  I asked her to come with us because I thought she might be pregnant with my child.  I couldn't just walk away from that possibility, that responsibility."  He stopped and looked over at her sitting still in her cage.  A wave of longing swept through him to touch her face, to see her expression. 

"Can you forgive me?  I never meant to reject anyone.  I certainly never meant you to hear what I said to her."

Silence.

"Sam?"

"Sir?"

Sigh.  "Sam, I'm asking you if you can forgive me and let me be part of the team again."  He waited.  "Or... isn't that all?"

"Well, something you said while under cover has been bothering me.  I don't know if it was just a sarcastic remark meant as part of your cover, or."

"Okay, so how'd I stick my foot in it?"

Sam gathered her thoughts for a minute looking down at her feet, then, "You said 'Carter I haven't been myself since I met you.'  What *did* you mean by that?"

"Uh,"  'Great opening, Jack.'  "To be honest, it just popped out of my mouth."  He thought some more and continued, "I think what I was getting at was that you - all of SG-1 - have changed me.  I'm not the same guy who wanted to commit suicide over his son's death."

When he said the word suicide, Sam sucked in a breath and held it.

Jack looked at her, concerned she'd misunderstand, "I'm better because of knowing you.  I feel better about life and actually, almost, have one.  With my team.  You know what I'm trying to say?  I just couldn't say it while the operation was going on.  It. kinda came out wrong."

Sam remembered to breathe again and Jack started again, "I'm sorry."  He paused and searched her face for any emotion.  "Is there more?"

"You'd have to ask Daniel and Teal'c about that one, sir." she said quietly, her voice thick.  "But, as for me, I guess I forgive you."  He could see the shimmer of tears on her face in the shadows.

"But haven't forgotten, huh?"  He still couldn't believe she'd forgiven him so easily, but he wasn't complaining.

********************************

After a restless and cold night, Sam woke to a cold dawn.  The horses stolen from P2X 669 stamped at their picket line, blowing misty plumes of breath into the morning.  The Jaffa stirred, changing shifts, poking at the fire by their bed rolls, feeding grain to the horses, and tearing down the camp.  By noon the entire camp was packed and ready to go.  While Kabechet was served a three-course meal, Sam and Jack dined on the Jaffa version of hardtack and stale-tasting water.

Mid-afternoon a party of horses and a wagon appeared in the distance.  Apparently, their new "escorts".  Within an hour they drew up and two of the riders dismounted, stalking over to Kabechet.  "Well, do you have the slaves?  You promised us extraordinary specimens we could sell at a profit this time."

'This time??' thought Jack.  "Hey," he yelled at the newcomers, "we're not property to be sold.  This *person* is no way going to sell us to anyone."  Everyone ignored him.  Sam and he exchanged glances.  Things didn't look too good here.

The Goa'uld and the traders continue to talk and shortly concluded their business.  The cages are loaded quickly, silently, on the wagon.  Meanwhile, the Jaffa and Kabechet mounted their own horses and turned to leave without a word.  When the pens were tied down to the satisfaction of the man in charge of their loading, everyone mounted their mounts and the party started off along the same course they'd followed before stopping.

The wagon had no springs and bounced the cages unmercifully; rocking them each time the trail presented a bump, rock or pothole.  The cage bottoms were smooth and the two prisoners slid from side to side within the cages as the wagon swayed loosely.  Several hours passed in this fashion and, some time after dark, the party stopped for the night.  The cages were left on the wagon.  A huge, bear-like man with long black hair, the same man who had supervised their loading, threw food to them through the bars and a small container of water.  Another hardtack-like substance.

'Yum,' thought Sam, 'real haut cuisine.  Oh, my aching back.  Have to introduce these people to shock absorbers.' she rubbed at the tight muscles in her lower back which had taken much of the abuse of the trip.  Lying down on her side, she drew her legs up to her chest, hoping to stretch them out.  Sometimes this helped when she had a backache after a really hard workout or too long a day with a really heavy pack..

Jack scooted over to the bars of his cage, which was right next to hers.  Reaching through the bars, he began to massage her back, applying pressure with his thumbs where the muscles were tightest.  As he worked over her back, Jack could feel her ribs and spine quite easily.  'Wow, she really has lost a *lot* of weight.  She's nothing but skin and bones.  I hadn't realized the whole thing affected her so much.  Daniel tried to tell me what went on, but, as usual, I didn't listen.'  It explained more of Daniel's comments about "taking care of Sam" and "it being his day to see that she ate."  'Danny, I have a lot to apologize to you for when we get back.'

Moaning with pleasure, Sam said, "You really want me to forgive you, don't you, sir?" and peered up at him over her shoulder, eyes slitted, and the beginnings of a smile on her face.  'It's the first time I've seen a smile on her face since... I don't know when.  God, I've missed her smile.'  He smiled back hesitantly and said, "Extra-special expectant father backrub.  It works for all sorts of ailments.  I learned to do it when Sara was pregnant with Charlie.  The muscles in her back would knot up terribly by the end of the day from the extra weight out front."

Sam was surprised he would talk about this.  His family and his past were usually topics he never spoke of unless asked.  She was practically purring by now, her back feeling much better.  Sam sat up, turned around against the far wall of her enclosure and looked at Jack, "Thanks, that helps a lot.  How are you doing?"

"Better than you, I think.  Being in the middle of the wagon, I get fewer and smaller bumps than you do.  Plus, I'm not as low on body fat as you are."  Sam looked away not wanting to get into this subject just yet.  Their truce was too tentative.

After a while, Sam became pensive and asked, "Where do you think they're taking us and what planet are we on?  I haven't seen a stargate."

"Look through the bars of my cage and over the wagon seat."

Leaning down and craning her neck to see at that odd angle, she looked and gasped.  In the light from the fire of their traveling companions, she could see part of the front of a DHD.  *None* of the symbols matched any she had seen before.  "Wha... where are we?"

"You're asking me, Major?"  Jack said, sardonically, using her rank deliberately to focus her thoughts.  "You're the stargate expert.  Tell me what you see.  What can you make of it?"

"I don't know, sir.  There must be another stargate system about which we know nothing.  Holy Hannah, think of the possibilities."  Her voice was soft and full of wonder.  "It, it must lead to another galactic system or cluster.  I wonder if there is more than one place where the two intersect.  Could there be more than two stargate systems?  The physics involved would be, no pun intended, astronomical.  I wonder what the calculations would involve to have two working stargates on one planet, especially as close as these appear to be." her voice trailed off into a mutter.

He could see her brain was on overload, the wheels practically turning before his eyes.  "Ah, ah, ah, Major.  Major!  Snap out of it!"

Her head jerked up and she looked at him blankly, "Sir?"

"You were gone for a minute there.  We need to concentrate on the here and now; on how to escape and get back to our world before we get lost in a completely strange stargate system.  Think.  Do you know of any way we can get out of these cages?  Brute force hasn't worked.  Maybe brains over brawn are called for here.

"I have no ideas, sir.  The bars are apparently integral parts of the top and bottom panels until that device is used.  There are no perceptible joints to exploit, no clear weak spots to use in breaking out. One thing I really think is imperative is to memorize the stargate symbols and the coordinates they put in tomorrow, assuming we're going through the gate.  Having the destination and point of origin will help us get back later."

He nodded.  "We should keep watch through the night to make sure we're watching when the time comes.  I'll take first watch."

In response, she lay down again and tried to sleep.  Her mind was churning at top speed, thinking of the possibilities of multiple stargate systems.  Without even knowing it, she drifted off to sleep, weighed down by exhaustion.  Her dreams were not comforting.  She and Jack were running, naked (?), gating to worlds with addresses she couldn't read.  Running down each set of steps just lead to more steps up, a new address and another gate.  An endless cycle.

Jack watched her twitch and whimper in her sleep.  He loved to watch her sleep, but hadn't had much chance lately, with her staying on the opposite side of every camp they'd slept at for months now.  Now he knew why, at least.  He had a lot to make up to her and the rest of his team.  They just had to get home first.  All in a days work for SG-1, right?

He shyly reached though the bars and put his hand gently on her bare arm and whispered, "Sam, we're home.  You got us home.  Now just remember when you wake up how you did it.  Come on my beautiful genius.  Use those little gray cells to get us home so I can show you how sorry I am about... everything."  'How much I love you.'  Keeping his feelings to himself certainly hadn't worked.  In fact, it had almost torn the team apart.  But not now; not until they were home and safe.

Sam quieted, the furrows left her forehead and a tiny smile played around her mouth.  Jack brought his hand back through the bars and her smile left.  Her hand came up to cover where his had rested and she sighed in her sleep.  His heart stopped, looking at her.  Beautiful was an understatement.  Her skin was so perfect, her face, her figure perfect - every bit of it that he could see and that was a lot.  Why would she look at a guy like him?  Not old, but older and quickly going gray.  'Emotionally damaged goods, with lots of baggage, to mangle a few more clichés.'  She'd said she was attracted to the lunatic fringe.  Well, he was that all right.  She deserved better than him and he would try to make sure she got back to find something better than either him or that asshole Jonas.

********************************

Sam watched through her shift until the sun began to thrust faint fingers over the horizon.  In the dark she'd only been able to see the DHD while the moon was up in the cloudless sky.  After the moon set, the glyphs faded into faint ridges.  Periodically looking up from her steady gaze at nothing, she scanned the parts of the camp she could see from her cage, the horizon and the sky.  When the advancing daylight began to make visibility better, she began studying the gate and DHD again, trying to memorize the glyphs and their positions on each device.  Finally, she found a small stick that had gotten stuck under the edge of her cage.  Working it loose took some time, but her patience was finally rewarded.  She turned toward the gate and scratched the shape of each glyph into the skin of her inner arms, deep enough to last a few days.  With luck, she'd find something else to record them on before the scratches faded completely.

The camp was stirring and more of the traders came out of their tents, stretching, pulling on short cloaks against the early morning air.  Sam shivered in her underwear.  Glancing over at the colonel, her mouth quirked into a slight smirk, 'I can't believe he really wore those shorts.  We thought they'd go right in the bin as soon as he got home or be recycled as another gag gift.  Wait until Janet hears about this one.'  Sobering immediately at the thought of her best friend, safely at home, Sam frowned.  She chewed her lip in thought.  'How are we going to get out of this mess?  No scientific miracles to, as the colonel put it, pull out of my butt this time.  It doesn't help my concentration that he looks so incredibly hot in those silly shorts.  Why can't I just think of him like I do Daniel and Teal'c, as a brother or friend?'  She missed them, wondering if they'd escaped and what was happening with them.  The two of them had been her rocks while the colonel was gone and even more so since then.

The beasts were harnessed to the wagon again, but Sam and Jack apparently weren't going with it.  Four men came over to the cages with a twelve-foot pole each, talking in a language Sam had never heard.  Sam shook Jack awake, "Sir.  Wake up, we're moving again."  Her cage was taken off the wagon and two poles threaded through the bars of her cage, forming a make-shift sedan chair.  The poles were hoisted to the shoulders of two men and she was carried toward the stargate.  She was at an angle to the DHD and couldn't see the entire face of it.  Jack's cage was brought up on the opposite side of the DHD to hers, carried on the shoulder of the other two men.

"Colonel, can you see the DHD face?  I can only see part of it."

"I can see it, Major.  You watch the 'gate, I'll watch the DHD.  We'll compare notes on the other side."

"Gotcha, sir."  'Oh, it was so good to be working together again.' she thought and smiled at him for the pure joy of not having that constant ache hanging over her heart.  It still hurt to think of his words and actions after Edora, but at least she understood his motivations and could start to live with them.

Her smile dazzling him, he almost missed the first glyph.  Black-haired bear, BHB, as Jack thought if him, had stalked over to the DHD and immediately began dialing.  Watching carefully, trying to memorize the address, they were unprepared for the immediate forward movement of the pole bearers when the last address coordinate was entered.  Barely waiting for the ka-swoosh of the opening gate to settle into the blue event horizon, they were through the gate and on their way to yet another world.

On the other side, Sam's bearers stumbled as they emerged on the other side.  Her cage slipped out of their control and it tumbled across the dais in front of the gate and over the side.  A drop of some ten feet.  Jack watched as she fell and yelled desperately, "Sam, Sam, are you okay?"  There was no answer.

BHB vaulted over the side of the platform and inspected the cage and its occupant.  Looking grim, he gestured to the two bearers and spoke to them in a language that sounded vaguely familiar to Jack, instructing them to pick up the cage again and get ready to move out.  At least that's what Jack guessed from the gestures.  The bearers hustled over, with looks of fear, to gather up the poles again and resume their original path across the flat terrain that looked similar to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.

Jack strained to get a look at Sam; to see what her condition was.  Her continued silence worried him a great deal.  His bearers came up even with hers and he could see that she was out cold, though there was no sign of a wound other than a trickle of blood from her mouth.  Watching closely, he could just see that she was breathing.  "Sam.  Carter.  Major!  Blue Eyes."  He tried every name he could think of to reach her, even ones that would normally get him an elbow in the ribs.  His frantic movements within the cage made it rock wildly and BHB slammed his hand against the side and growled at Jack to be quiet.  Jack turned around in one fluid movement and was on that side of the cage in a flash.  He'd understood the man's speech!  Where was that coming from?  It came to him.  BHB was speaking a language very similar to one of those he'd learned during the time loop.

'Think, Jack.  Get him to stop and have Sam seen to.'  Concentrating hard on his pronunciation, Jack slowly enunciated, "Sir, please stop.  My companion is injured.  Please, let me see her."

BHB, looked at Jack, raising an eyebrow at Jack's attempt to communicate. Speaking slowly, "Why do you care about her?  She's just a slave such as you?  We have a schedule to keep in order to make the <?> tonight."

"We will bring less profit if she is damaged or dead; and she is important to me.  I will do my best to see that she is fit enough to sell.  Especially if we are to be sold together."

Black-Haired Bear looked worried at this statement.  He replied, "Are you apprius with this woman?  I was assured you were <?> and could be <?>."

Jack didn't get all of the words.  How should he answer?  Thinking hard, he guessed, hoping he was guessing right, "Yes.  We *are* together.  Do not separate us."

BHB frowned again.  "I will think on this.  Now, be silent."

Sensing he would get no more from the man, Jack sank back into his cage and stayed quiet, fuming with impatience, worried for Sam.  Finally, after some time, Jack heard her moan.  "Sam?  Can you hear me?  Say something."  There was still no answer.  Sighing with frustration, Jack sank back into the swaying surface.  

BHB noticed and frowned.  'Had the snake woman lied to him about their relationship?  Would not be the first time she'd told untruths.  This would seriously complicate selling these new slaves.  The laws were strict about this sort of situation.  Well, he would have to question the male carefully before they arrived at the auction house.  Perhaps at the noon stop.'

Noon arrived, the cages were lowered gratefully by the weary bearers and the leader squatted to look at Sam.  She looked up weakly, but her eyes were unfocused.  'Perhaps the male would be able to help her.  After I talk to him.'  He turned to Jack.  "Is this female your appria?  Tell me truthfully."

'Damn, what do I tell him?  What the heck does appria mean? Well, I might as well go for broke.'  "Yes, she is my... chosen life partner.  Is that what you mean?" asked Jack.

The large man looked closely at Jack, as if to gauge his honesty and nodded curtly once.  Turning and standing in the same swift motion, BHB took the cage device from a pouch on his belt and waved it over Sam's cage, then over Jack's.  As soon as the lid was loose, Jack pushed it up and off the cage, running over to do the same to the other cage. Hopping into the small cage, he lifted Sam's eyelids to check her pupils.  They were slightly uneven and unfocused.  Dredging through his memory for his not-so-recent first-aid training, Jack remembered that this was a sign of concussion.  Keep her level and warm.  He ran his hands through her hair looking for any sign of a wound and found a small bump near her temple.  Sighing, he rose to his feet and tried to think of the words in the other's language to convey the concepts of what he'd found.

Turning to look at the dark man, "She has a serious bump on her head and needs to be kept warm and allowed to rest as much as possible.  Do you have a blanket I can put around her?"

BHB looked annoyed and relieved at the same time.  He turned and walked to a horse.  Opening the saddlebag, he removed a worn blanket and tossed it to Jack.  "See that she is well enough to stand before the buyers in two days.  If not, she will be sold to the common warrior's brothel.  They won't care if she's awake or not."

Shocked, Jack swallowed and nodded.  He changed Sam's position to one as comfortable as possible in the small enclosure and wrapped the blanket, which smelled of horse and old sweat, around her.  Settling down next to her, he took her hand in his larger one, raised it to his lips and kissed it softly.  "Come on Sam.  You have to get better.  Who's going to save my ass like you always do?  I can't do it by myself this time."  He curled himself around her limp form to provide as much warmth as possible.  When the bearers came back they put the top back on the cage, threaded the second two poles through Sam's cage and all four picked up the poles.  The troop head toward the low mountains Jack could see in the distance.  It was cramped, but at least they were together.  The extra weight made the side-to-side motion less and they were gently rocked now.  Jack fell asleep almost immediately from the exhaustion of the past two days and having Sam's warm body snuggled up to his.  'All in all, things could be worse.'

He woke when their pen was set down, rather softly considering.  They were in a plain room made of beige stone with a dirt floor about eight by six feet.  Their companions of the day were leaving through a door to Jack's right, carrying the poles.  He sat up and looked around.  The top was off the cage.  A bucket of what he hoped was water sat in the back corner.  Jack carefully moved away from Sam, stood up and stepped out of the cage.  It was water, so he drank his fill, and then brought a palmful to Sam.  She drank it, but never woke.

Examining their new abode proved that his initial assessment was correct.  Not much here; just a square room with a door, two buckets and a narrow bed.  A lamp hung from the ceiling shone a little light into the room, making it intimate, but not oppressive.  Jack stepped into the open cage and lifted Sam gently and moved her to the bed.  The second bucket must be the "facilities" of their prison.

*************************

Sam woke to a thundering headache and only a little dizziness.  'Don't tell me Teal'c has been making mixed drinks again.  Oh, why do I do this to myself?  Last time it was three days before I could think straight.'  "Daniel, Teal'c, Colonel?  Anybody awake?"  She raised her aching head and opened her eyes fully to better see in the low light of the room.  "What the...  Colonel?!  Where are we?  And why are you in bed with me?  Please tell me this is either a joke or I'm hallucinating."

"Shhh, you're supposed to be recuperating and you don't have much time left." said a sleepy Colonel O'Neill, nearly falling back to sleep.  It all came back to him in a rush.  "You're awake!  Thank goodness.  I was starting to get very worried I'd have to break into a soldier's brothel to get you back."

A very confused major looked at him like he was raving and Jack realized how odd and out of context his comment must seem.  "We're in a brothel?  You brought me to a brothel?  And I let you?"

"Um, it's not quite how it seems major.  Let me explain."

"*Please* do." came her wary response.

"Do you remember being taken prisoner by that Goa'uld whelp of Anubis?"  She nodded.  He continued, "Do you remember to cage and the strange stargate?"  She looked like Data for the moment before he says "Accessing," then nodded again.

"When they carried your cage through the stargate the bearers stumbled and dropped you over the edge of a ten foot drop.  I think you have a concussion.  This is the first time in almost two days you've been really conscious.  BHB gave me a blanket to wrap you up in and..."

"Who?"

"Oh, Black-Haired Bear, BHB.  That's what I call the guy who seemed to be in charge of our party of escorts.  Anyway, he said that if I could make sure you were well enough to stand up in front of the buyers bidding for us within two days - that's today - he, uh, wouldn't sell you to the common soldier's brothel."

"Oh."  She looked pale and distinctly unwell at the implication.  Recovering, she asked, "So, how did we end up here?" she indicated the room with her hand, "and in the same bed?"  She looked a little piqued at the idea.

Jack hastily got off the bed, but couldn't go too far in the small space.  Leaning against the wall with his hands behind his back, he took the opportunity to frame his answer.  Using his best "I'm just an innocent bystander" look, he explained, "There was only one bed and one blanket and you were shivering with the cold last night.  Um, and the night before."

"Hmmm," Sam said and left it at that.  "So, what happens now?  We go on the auction block?  Then what?  Have you been able to communicate with anyone?"

"Well, I understand a little of their language.  It's very much like one Daniel taught Teal'c and me during the time loop; the one he said the ancients spoke.  I still miss large parts of the conversation, especially if they talk too fast, but it's coming back pretty rapidly.  The slave who brings our meals and water has been pretty good about answering questions if I ask them right.  But, since I don't have anything to bribe her with, there's only so much she'll say.

"As to what happens now, all my source would say is that every few weeks or months there's a gathering of select customers for an auction of *exotic* merchandise.  The buyers are representatives of high-class brothels, gladiator schools, temples - some of which are really thinly disguised brothels for those with enough money - and rich patrons looking for attractive sex partners for themselves or their children."

"God." she breathed, "What a range of choices, though I don't suppose the choice is ours."  Her head lowered, almost of its own accord, into her hands.  It ached abominably.  "Don't suppose you have any aspirin hidden anywhere, do you sir?" she mumbled through her fingers.

"Sorry, Carter.  I'll pop down to the drugstore first chance I get."

"Have you scoped out the area for possible avenues of escape?"

"As much as possible.  It's pretty hopeless where we are now.  We're locked into a windowless room in the middle of a compound built like a fortress.  The walls are 12 inches thick, the door six inches thick.  The lock is solid steel, as are the hinges, or at least they looked that way when I saw them when the door was opened."

She smiled wanly.  "What do we do now, sir?  Wait?"

"That's about all there is to do for now.  Oh, here, I saved you some food.  You must be starved.  After that, why don't you try to sleep some more?  Your headache might be better with a little shuteye."

"Whatever you say, colonel."  She took the small roll with a thick slab of cheese tucked into a pocket in the side.  With the food gone she rolled over and fell asleep right away.

It seemed like she had just laid down her head when the colonel was gently shaking her saying, "Wake up sleeping beauty.  We're being paged."

She rolled off the bed and stood up.  'Amazing, the colonel's prescription was right.  My head feels much better.  Just a slight ache now.'  Sam looked to her left and saw a short, black-haired young woman standing, or rather shifting back and forth impatiently, in the open doorway.  "Sarmae."

"Huh?" asked Sam.

"Her name is Sarmae.  She's been very helpful.  But now we have to go.  Do you feel up to it?"

"As much as I ever will, I suspect.  Lead on, Sarmae."  Sarmae took them down the hall outside their room to what looked like a bathing chamber with a large pool in the center.  "A bath!  Oh, I'd kill for a bath and some clean clothes.  Or, any clothes at all, for that matter."

Sarmae walked toward the pool and said something Sam couldn't understand.  The colonel translated, enjoying being the one to explain things for once, "she wants you to take your clothes off and get in.  We don't have that much time before it's our turn at the auction."

"So, where are you going to bathe?"

"Uh, men and women bathe together here.  She expects me to get in too."  He blushed slightly.  "I swear, I won't look.  Really."

"Of course you won't, sir.  You're going in first," Sam smirked, daring him to overrule her.

"Whatever you say, major," Jack replied with a smirk of his own.  He walked away from her toward the pool.  At the edge of the steps, he dropped his boxers and walked into the water.  Turning around in the milky water, Jack saw her face - beet red, with her mouth hanging open, hardly breathing.  Sarmae giggled.  Both officers looked toward her and simultaneously said, "No giggling."  Then grinned at each other for a second.  Sam gritted her teeth and walked boldly toward the pool, her hips swinging provocative with each step to give her courage to do this.  It was Jack's turn to go red and look shocked.  Sam reached toward the front clasp of her bra as she put her foot on the first step into the pool.  Jack quickly turned around just as she dropped the garment on the pool edge.  Sam removed her panties and slipped into the water.  "It's safe now, sir.  You can turn around."

"I think I'll stay just as I am, major."  With that, he reached for the soap and began cleaning his rebellious body.  If he turned around, she'd see the affect her display had had on him.  Washing and rinsing quickly, he looked around for Sarmae.  She was walking toward him with a towel and a knowing smile.  "You find your appria beautiful.  So will the buyers."

Suddenly, his body wasn't so happy anymore.  Walking out of the water with his back to Sam, he took the towel and wrapped it around himself.  "Please tell me we don't have to wear the same outfits again, Sarmae?"

"No.  Clothing has been provided over there." Sarmae pointed to a table on Jack's left.  He lifted the garment and held it up.  "No way."  It was a short scrap of white that would barely cover him, let alone allow some modesty.

Sam and Sarmae looked at each other and burst out laughing, which did nothing for O'Neill's confidence or temper.

Sam finally stopped laughing and said with a broad smile, "Well, sir, it *is* your turn to be dressed up by the natives."  Starting to giggle, she slipped under the water to rinse the soap out of her hair.  Small bubbles continued to rise to the surface as she chuckled under the water.  She couldn't believe they were acting this way under the circumstances, but was immensely relieved to be on a better basis with her colonel.  Finally, she came up, gasping for air, and saw that the colonel had allowed Sarmae to fit the skimpy garment around his waist and between his legs.  She gasped to see how sexy he looked in it.  When Sarmae buckled on the broad belt, he turned around and she saw that there was a triangular piece of fabric that hung down from the belt in graceful folds to cover his groin.  Below the silky fabric were Jack's strong and, she had to admit it, very attractive legs.  On his feet were leather sandals which Sarmae was lacing up Jack's muscular, but well proportioned calves.  Above the belt, was displayed another triangle of rippling abdomen and broad shoulders.

Sam's head was swimming.  "Nice uniform, sir.  Think the Air Force will go for it?" she tried to get her composure back.

Holding up two smaller scraps of filmy white, the gray-haired Adonis drawled, "Naw, but I'll bet they might go for what Sarmae has here for you."  Jack's confidence was back now after seeing Sam's reaction to him.  He grinned at her uneasy expression.

Sarmae approached her with another towel and she walked out of the pool into it, positioning Sarmae between herself and Jack.  All he saw was a flash of long shapely leg and one hip, glistening with water.  'Let's try to keep a little dignity here.'  Sarmae walked back to the table and took the bits from Jack's hands.  As she turned to Sam, Sarmae said something smartly to Jack over her shoulder and he flushed, looking down, and then turned around.  'She must be related to Janet', thought Sam.

Sam dropped the towel and took the outfit Sarmae held out.  The smallest bit was twisted into a rope and wrapped around her breasts, with the fabric twists being spread to cover each breast and the ends tied across her back.  It covered barely as much as her bra had and was more likely to slip off with no straps.  The bottom piece was similar to Jack's, just smaller to fit her smaller frame.  Sam was perversely glad she'd had her legs waxed the day before this mission when Janet had talked her into going to a day spa.  Sarmae provided a belt for Sam and sandals.  The sandals had to wait, though, as Sarmae sighed on seeing Sam's feet.  She threw a comment to Jack as she strode to a cabinet, opened it and removed a jar.

"What did she say, colonel?"

"She said your feet were in terrible shape and would not reflect well on her without some help."  He was obviously smiling as he said it. 

"Well, it's not like combat boots are designed to keep feet like they're fresh from the pedicure I had this weekend.  Wouldn't want to offend our potential owners, would we now?" she said sarcastically.

Jack lost his smile as he remembered where they were and the coming auction.

After Sam's feet were prepared and the sandals fitted to her feet, Sarmae said "One last thing before you go out.  I must put this on you and your appria so the buyers will know your status."  She approached Sam and Jack with a leather thong that she proceeded to tie loosely around both wrists so that they were linked together.

Sam looked at Sarmae and Jack, asking "What's this for?"  She looked slightly suspicious, as though there was something Jack hadn't told her.

"I think it means we're a package, not to be sold separately.  BHB asked me a couple of times if you were my appria, whatever that is.  I, I think it means were joined, like a team or a pair."

"As in married?"  The blood was rising in her face, but not from embarrassment.

Not looking at his major, the colonel replied sheepishly, "I'm not really sure.  But I think it was the only way we wouldn't be sold separately; to who knows whom or under what circumstance."

Somewhat mollified, Sam said, "Based on the information available, it was probably the only logical decision to make, sir."

Sarmae had heard some sort of signal and pushed them toward an opening at the end of the bathing room on the other side of the table.  Turning the corner in the hallway past the opening, they saw a curtain.

Jack twisted his bound hand to lace his fingers with Sam's.  She smiled and said softly, "Thank you, sir."

He nodded in reply and quipped, "Show time, major."  And they stepped toward the curtain.

************************************

Sold, Lock, Stock and Barrel

************************************

******************************** SAM ********************************

The drapes parted as we came up to them and it was like entering a scene from one of those old movies from the 60's set in ancient Rome.  Walking out onto the stage was the hardest thing I've ever done.  Harder than standing up to the colonel at our first meeting, harder than re-writing the laws of physics to save the colonel, harder than keeping my love for him to myself.  I've never been much of an exhibitionist, despite my little display earlier.  Standing in front of a room of strangers, whose language I don't even speak, being judged by them for my looks rather than my intellect or expertise, was very hard.  I feel like a slab of beef being viewed by a butcher or a hungry diner.  The colonel looked a little sick himself.  I knew what my fate was likely to be, but his was less sure.  The stress of worrying about him, made me clench my teeth and knot my free hand into a fist.  My stomach was already there.

The room's occupants were, for the most part not even looking at us, lolling around on low cushioned chairs, waiting for the man on the stage to our left to begin extolling our virtues like a freak show barker in a carnival trying to get customers inside the tent.  As the auctioneer began to speak, some slowly turned towards us, as though we were just *too* boring.  One over-dressed, over-jeweled woman lit up with some interest when she saw us.  She whispered to the obsequious little man to her left; a wicked gleam in her eye, he looked at us doubtfully and shook his head.  She laughed, looked at us out of the corner of her eyes and made obscene motions with her ring-covered hands, miming what she'd have us do.  I looked away as quickly as I could.  'No way in hell, lady!'

The man behind her was not interested at all, nor the woman to his left.  The plainly-garbed man in the back looked at us, gray eyes cool, assessing us.  Despite his plain clothes and lack of jewels or other adornment, the slaves attending to the buyers' needs were just as attentive to him, maybe even more so.  He directed a comment to one of the slaves, who scurried to the man on the stage.  I whispered to the colonel, "What is he saying?"
 
Without moving his eyes from the slave, Jack translated, "He's asking what our skills are.  Can I fight?  Have I ever handled animals?  Can you sew?"  This last brought a snort from the colonel.

I felt like throwing up or throwing something.  A PhD in astrophysics, hundreds of hours in an F-16, level three skills in unarmed combat and he wanted to know if I could *sew*.  'Arg, I hate men!'

As if sensing my distress, Colonel O'Neill gently squeezed my hand and said softly, "Calm down, Major.  I've never cared if you can sew and neither does the Air Force."  Strangely enough, that made me feel better.  I looked at him gratefully.  'When did he get so diplomatic?'  "Besides, I think I like the look of him better than the 'madam' over there." he continued, nodding toward the leering woman.

The slave had scuttled back to the gray-eyed man and was talking to him from a low bow.  The man didn't look too pleased, but came to a decision.  He made a short comment; perhaps a bid for us?
 
 

******************************** JACK ********************************

Gray Eyes, as I dubbed him in the absence of a name, looked at me as if trying to judge my character by looks alone.  I stared back, but not in a challenging way.  This wasn't the time to get into a testosterone-laced staring contest to see who'd look away first.  If he could get us out of here and into a relatively safe situation, I'd be very happy and grateful.  We needed to get out of this fortress in one piece *and* together.  This place wasn't going to be easy to escape from, if it was even possible.

Besides, Madam Tacky made me really nervous.  I knew what she wanted us for and it wasn't sewing or mucking out horse stalls.  'Crap, I think she's bidding on us.  Keep your money to yourself, lady.'  Her slave approached the "auctioneer" and, bowing, relayed her comments.  Gray Eye's slave passed the information to him, having been by the auctioneer to hear the bid.  After a nod from the plain man, the slave hurried to the podium and whispered to the two standing there.

Madam's slave ran back to tell her the new bid.  'Very strange sort of auction, if you ask me.'

The bidding continued this way for a few more passes as each increased the stakes, the looks between the two bidders getting more engaged with each new bid and the other customers had looked up too.  'They're enjoying this!  How boring are *their* lives?'

Finally, after Gray Eyes gave his latest bid with a slight cool smile, Madam Tacky made a sound suspiciously like frustration, gestured brusquely to her toady and looked away from us.

Gray Eyes' smile broadened a tiny bit.  'Hmm, he didn't like her.  Join the party.'  The auctioneer bowed to the group of buyers and motioned for us to leave the stage through the door to our right.  Moving as quickly as possible to get away from that group of vultures, we exited through the door and were escorted to a small room with no furniture or window, just a small lantern high on one wall.  The door was shut and locked behind us with a resounding clang.

******************************* SAM *********************************

I sat down as soon as the door closed behind us.  My legs weren't going to hold me up for another second.  I was still tired and a little dizzy from the bump on my head and lack of food.  As if my thoughts were transmitted to someone outside, the door opened slightly and Sarmae came in with a tray of food and water.  As I dove for the contents of the tray, the colonel started asking questions.  After a few quick answers, Sarmae left with a backward glance and the door closed once more.  I split the food and water into two portions and inhaled mine as fast as possible.

Watching me with a smile, the colonel pushed his food toward me and said, "You need this more than I do.  You barely eaten in two days, but I have."  Not waiting for him to change his mind, I ate his ration too, if somewhat slower.  I looked up to see amusement on his face.  "What?"

"I just like to see you eating something.  Wouldn't want the wife of the new gofer at the City of the Stars' finest gladiatorial school to starve to death before she starts her new job as the school's apprentice seamstress."  I didn't know what to respond to in that loaded statement.  Wife?  Gofer (the colonel?)?  Gladiatorial school (thank goodness not a "temple" or brothel)?  Seamstress! 

"Sir, sewing?  The only class I ever flunked, *ever*, was Home Ec.  Wood or metal shop, no problem.  Automotive shop or physics, no problem; but sewing.  Forget it, I'm hopeless.  Mark was much better at it than I.  Mom made sure her little boy could take care of himself, but never had much of a chance with me before she died.  I was Daddy's little girl.  Guess I still am," I babbled, thinking of Dad.  What was he doing?  Did he know I was missing yet?  Had Daniel and Teal'c made it back okay?  Oh, I hoped so.
 
"Well, it could have been worse.  At least Madam Tacky didn't buy us."  His brown eyes were dark at the thought.  It made me shiver and wrap my arms around myself.  The colonel used the thong linking us to pull me into a hug.  Brief, friend to friend, and just what I needed.  I hugged him back and pulled away to look him in the face.

"Why, in a world that supports slavery, do they care if we're married?  Earth cultures with slavery had no problem with breaking up families."

"Sarmae wasn't too clear about that.  I think it has something to do with the predominant religion." He shrugged, obviously not knowing the full answer.

"When do we leave?" I asked.

"He, Argoch Marik, will be sending someone for us early tomorrow morning.  Argoch is apparently his title.  Something like honored citizen.  He's wealthy and owns the best run school in the city, according to Sarmae.  His students win the most contests and attract the highest paid contracts in the region."

"I think she's going to miss you."  I said with a small smile.  He smiled back.

"Well, I did use all my best lines on her to get her talking to me.  But she never did laugh at most of my jokes like someone else I know."  Sobering, he went on, "You should get more sleep.  It's a long walk from here to the school.  After you've slept we can begin some language lessons.  Hey, I think I like being the smart one for once."  After untying the thong, he rubbed his hands together and strutted away from the corner in which had I curled up.

I woke a couple of hours later with a blanket over me and another under my head.  Bedding had been delivered - a small hay-stuffed mattress, and two thin blankets.  I must really have been quite tired to not notice.  Usually I'm a light sleeper when off-world.

******************************** JACK ********************************

The nap did Carter some good and she's looking less drawn and pale, though still almost transparent from lack of food.  We worked for several hours on her language lessons and her ability to learn and remember is absolutely amazing.  It took me I don't know how many time loops to learn what she picked up in one evening.  Not that it helped having to talk Daniel into believing that I knew what I was talking about.  Every.  Single.  Loop.  The guy is one of my best friends ever, but is a little snobbish about amateurs in his field of expertise.  

The evening went by so fast I was surprised when the lantern began to flicker as they turned down the lamp oil feed for the night.  Despite being a culture stuck at about the level of the Roman Empire, they have advancements that took Earth until last century.

Sleep, despite not having done much all day, was what we needed.  Getting settled on the narrow mattress was an exercise in logistics and invading personal space.  Finally, we came to a compromise of sleeping back-to-back, with the blankets shared.

******************************** SAM ********************************

'I could really get used to waking up in someone's arms.'  Not that I was surprised, though still a little embarrassed, to find us wrapped around each other.  It had been cold last night and the two thin blankets were hardly adequate.

Sarmae was there early to roust us out of bed and to hand us a quick breakfast and a package of heavier clothing for outside wear.  When we opened the package of clothing we were startled to find a small packet with our old underwear, washed and ready to use again.  Both of us were mortified and couldn't look at each other for a moment.  Then the humor of the whole thing hit us both and we laughed like a couple of crazies until we were holding our stomachs and tears streamed down our faces.  Sarmae walked in on this scene and her look of exasperation set us off again for several more minutes.

The packet of worn, but serviceable clothes contained a pair of wool leggings and long tunic for the Colonel and a mid-calf length wool dress and cloak for me, plus wool stockings for both of us to wear under the sandals.  Dressed like natives and warm for the first time in days, we were escorted by Sarmae through several winding corridors and out through a back door to a small courtyard.  There a plump, balding man roughly in his 50s motioned for us to follow him.  Talking as he walked, he introduced himself (though the colonel had to translate quite a bit) to us as Lenus, Argoch Marik's steward.  We would be accountable to him, especially me since I'd be working in the house, and come to him for all problems or requests.  All complaints about us would come to him, too.  'Great.  Two supervisors at once.  What more can a girl ask for.'

******************************** JACK ********************************

The walk to our new 'home' took the better part of the day.  Partly because of the distance and partly because of all the stops we made on the way.  Lenus had errands to run and we were only one of them.  As the day went on, Carter and I acquired more and more packages to carry, though many of the things Lenus bought were to be delivered.

The City of Stars was a study in contrasts that Daniel would be drooling over.  On the surface it looked like paintings I've seen of ancient Roman cities, with a combination of multi-story stone and stucco buildings, cobbled streets and tile roofs.  The differences were sometimes subtle.  There were street lights, no doubt with oil piped to them like the lanterns we'd used to see by for the past few days.  The horse-like beasts we'd seen in use outside the city were not in evidence, perhaps for sanitation.  Instead, human-powered rickshaws and vehicles powered by some sort of crude, smelly engine were used.

The streets were filled at this early hour with people hurrying to wherever they needed to go.  Food carts and booths clustered at intersections and were busily serving things that looked like either meat, meatballs or vegetables on skewers, plus pastries and beverages.  If gate travel has taught us anything, it's that human societies were essentially the same throughout the universe.

Despite his soft exterior, Lenus set a brisk pace and we were never any place too long.  At noon, he bought us all lunch at one of the food carts.  We were ravenous after the lean rations we'd received recently, so he indulgently bought us seconds of everything.  It was delicious.  The afternoon continued as the morning had gone, though Carter, still recovering from her head injury, began to lag behind later in the day.  Lenus could see that she was trying really hard to keep up and, once I explained she'd been hurt two days ago, he hired a rickshaw for the two of them to ride in.  I was able to pack my bundles into a box on the back of the cart and trotted alongside them for the last hour or so.  I was never so glad to see any place as our last destination.  Those sandals were not made for running.

******************************** SAM ********************************

When we finally got to the villa our "owner" used as the school, I was exhausted and don't really remember being taken to our room, just waking up late the next morning.  The colonel was gone already, so I washed myself as well as possible using the bucket of water in the corner and the towel I found hanging on a hook.

Starved, I left the room and wandered around until I found someone to ask, in the limited phrases the colonel had taught me, where to find the kitchen.  Breakfast was over, but the cook gave me a cold meal that at least filled the void in my stomach and he sent his scullery slave for the woman I'd be working for.  Veris turned out to be a short, wizened woman with poor eyesight from peering at small things in poor light.  She disliked me on sight.

I've had this problem with women and some men in the past.  Some just take one look at me and decide I'm too tall, too young, too smart, whatever, and they never give me a chance to prove myself.  Escape was looking really good right about now.

She took me back to her workroom and gave me some simple tasks to do.  Well, they were simple for her, impossible for me to do well.  Lunch was a simple affair of fruit, cheese and watered wine, taken in the workroom.  After lunch, she showed me around the parts of villa she thought I'd need to see, storerooms, the refectory where we'd eat breakfast and supper, the servants' baths.  The colonel wasn't in any of those parts, so I asked as many questions as Veris would answer about how the villa was laid out, where the exits were, how many guards, whatever.  She couldn't or wouldn't answer much of my questions.  The afternoon was as long as the morning was short.  By evening I could hardly wait for dinner and a chance to get away from Veris, to compare notes with Colonel O'Neill.
 
 

******************************** JACK ********************************

What a day!  The arms master and head trainer for the school, Jeckal (It was *really* hard for me not to call him jackal or jackass or ask where Mr. Hyde was.), gave me several tasks to see how competent I was with taking care of the equipment.  Being something of a weapons buff, I'd worked with swords and knives before.  The pikes and other offensive weapons were less familiar, but I could figure out what was necessary to repair or clean them pretty easily.  'Carter should be here.  She'd be a natural at this.' was my first thought upon seeing my duties for the day.

Apparently satisfied with my morning's work, in the afternoon Jeckal assigned me the task of outfitting two of the students for a fight that afternoon.  I had to pick out the appropriate sized safety equipment - helmet, pads, etc. - and the right weapons for each man.  He was obviously testing my knowledge, not that I minded.  I'd done that lots of times with new people.  We actually hit it off pretty well, being birds of a feather.  He was a retired soldier a little older than I am, newly married and expecting his first child in a couple of months now that his fighting days were over.  I envied him.  A lot.

Dinner was a more formal affair than lunch, held in a central hall with the entire villa present.  I found Carter and sat down between her and Tarmic, a brutish looking fighter I'd seen beat a sparring partner into the ground today then swagger away proclaiming his "victory".  Not someone I wanted to get on the wrong side of having met plenty of that type in Special Ops.  When I sat down he looked at me like I was scum and told me to get lost, that he wanted to talk to Carter.  She rolled her eyes at this comment.  When I bristled, Carter grabbed my arm and yanked me away before the inevitable confrontation started.  He tried to get up and come after her, but his other neighbor at the table pulled him back and whispered something which stopped him.

After finding another seat heaping our plates to overflowing, we talked about our first days and compared notes quietly, in English.  As the dinner went on it looked as though things would degenerate into a rowdy party, so we left and went back to our room.  As soon as the door was closed, I asked the major about her encounter with Tarmic, "He giving you problems, major?"

"No, sir.  I can handle it."

"I know you can.  That's not the issue.  If he's going to present a problem, it may affect our escape."

Reluctantly, she told me about it, "Tarmic seems to be one of those guys with inflated ideas of their own charms.  Even telling him I was someone's appria didn't faze him."  She shrugged, "Typical jock - all brawn, no brain.  I'll watch out for him."

"So will I," I promised.  Carter gave me a look I couldn't read and turned toward the bed.

With her bac